1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hot-melt-adhesive, micro-fiber-generating conjugate fibers and a woven or non-woven fabric using the same. More particularly, it relates to hot-melt-adhesive, micro-fiber-generating conjugate fibers from which hot-melt-adhesive, micro-fibers are generated by removing a part of components constituting the conjugate fibers, and a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric using the conjugate fibers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as high-class and diversified clothes have been dsired, improvement in feeling of fibers by way of making fibers very fine has been attempted, and further as use applications of synthetic paper, non-woven fabric, etc. are developed, a process for producing micro-fibers has been also desired to be developed. Further, since a new application of micro-fibers to a wiper, etc. was found, improvement in its properties has been attempted. Among micro-fibers-generating fibers, those of the so-called island-in-sea type fibers are very useful and a number of products using the same are commercially available.
Among the island-in-sea type, micro-fibers-generating fibers, particularly those wherein the island-in-sea structure is relied on a polymer blend, as disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. Sho 47-37648/1972, are prepared by blending different kinds of polymers constituting the respective components of island and sea, melt-spinning the resulting blend and removing the sea component with a solvent to leave only the island component. In such fibers, the blending proportion of the sea component should be large for keeping the independence of the island component. However, the sea component is used for temporarily binding a bundle of micro-fibers, and is to be finally removed. Hence the binding component cannot be a reinforcing component. So, the micro-fibers-generating fibers of this type could not have a high tenacity. Further, the bundle of micro-fibers as a remaining island component obtained by removing the sea component from the island-in-sea type micro-fibers-generating fibers has a low tenacity, so it is impossible to make the lengths of the micro-fibers uniform.
Further, as to the spinnability of fibers obtained by subjecting different kinds of polymers to composite spinning so as to give an island-in-sea structure as disclosed in Japanese patent application laid-open No. Sho 60-21904 (1985), since the spinnability of the sea component is very often inferior, the spinnability of the island-in-sea type fibers is inferior, too. Further, in the case of fibers of which the components are of a polymer blend, since polymers having different properties from each other are blended, a satisfactory spinning stability cannot be obtained. So, the polymer is extruded from spinning nozzles in a thick and fine form and the extrudate is liable to break like raindrops.